The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-07-06
LABOR'S PEACEFUL WAY.
JOHN SWINTON DRAWS A MORAL
FROM RECENT STRIKES.
The Labor Record Of America Com
pared With That OF the
Old Werld.
lcoRpEsPoSpEScE OF THE AprEAL.l

CORRESPONDENTS OF THE APrEAL.l
NKw YORK, July 5.-The fears of
violence on the part OF the strikers at
Rochester, n. Y, during the past
week. is q reminder Of the most won
derful features of these striking times.
Nearly every strike, however great, is
what the artist would cal scene in
etill life" Amid the 500 strikes since
the beginning Of this year there has
not been single scrimmae) OF any
sizs with the police anywhere.
Though quarter of million men
have been engaged in them and kept
in idleness Tor more or less time;
though there has often besn high ex-
element in The collision Of interests;
though the causes Of provocation are
always at hand In such cases; though
failure may have disheartened or sue
cess embo dsned, we have not once
seen the peace broken anywhere. Is
not this q remarkable fact? Thirty
thousand men of the breed who are
eaid to have chair on their
toes" have been "out" In
Chicago; 10000 have been out
in Worcester county, Mass, nearly as
many stovemolders were "out" last
month; still more coke workers and
miners have been "out" In Pennsylva-
mai % host.numbering tens of thousands
were tout" during the spring strikes
in and around this city, yet peace pre-
vailed everywhere during the gigantic
strikes In April and My OF the last
year; there were few lota' disturb.
ances, such az those in Missouri, and
the anarchist bomb in Chicago, but
the masses OF the strikers raised never
hand against the laws. In other
times strikes used to be associated
with belligerency. In the huge ma
tional strikes Of ten years ago $50
ut this season Of the year, the militia
were under arms in fourteen States,
and there was lsrge loss Of life in the
numerous collisions that took place.
There is no doubt that the immense
progress in the organization OF labor
made during the past ZEN years has
been the influential cause OF the pre-
yention OF turbulence during this I'M
precedented time OF striking. All the
labor organizations OF every name take
ground against every thing Of the ma
ture OF riotinf. They hold their
members in chick with q very firm
hand. They diciplins them In way
which admits Df no trifliug They
sternly insist upon obedience to orders
and Ulcers; ant their officers are apt
10 be men who anders and what they
are about. krow that this opinion
is different from that often seen In the
papers, many " which insist that
labor has put itssli under violent and
clustering Leaders, who drive the m n
into boisterous couees. The best
answer to this error j. to point TO the
facts Of present experience and con-
trast them with hose Of past times
for example, l87i-when labor organi.
zalion was in its infancy and leaders
were few and feeble. 1t is a mistake
Tor capitalists to oppose labor org aniza-
ton, as IN any Of hem are now doing.
The peaceful proress oil the commun-
ity is, in large measure, dependent
upon 1t.
In the Confidential countries OF
Europe strikes oil any impor-
lance are promptly given
over to the army. In the recent
strikes In the Goa and iron districts OF
Belgium, 10000 Troops were on special
service against the strikers, but they
were unable to prevent the scenes OF
violence or the us, OF dynamite; and
Il is worthy Of notice that such labor
unions a. belong 10 American work
ingmen are unkn,wn in Belgium. In
recent strikes in Germany, Austria
and Russia, the militia were promptly
on the spot. Herr In the New York
papers OF the frat d July, is dispatch
irom England, concerning the riot Of
the previous day among the strikers
at Bolton, In which the mob overmas-
tered the police, and had TO be quelled
by the military. The things we call
the harsh works Of the French troops,
q lew years ago during the strike Of
the miners at Creui, Of which Emile
z la made use OF In his novel.
The most notable news from the
labor field during the past week has
been the holding OF the fret national
convention OF the Building Trades OF
the United States at Chicago. II gives
90 idea OF the move feature OF labor
organization, which looks 10 united
action upon q very large scale among
the workers OF related trades. II diff
iers from the scheme OF the Knights
OF Labor, which joins In lie assemblies
all class OF workers, without regard "a
the special vocation, 20 that you will
find in any given assembly represen
tatives OF many trades as well ~ I'M.
skilled laboTers. The Bullding Trades
Council has provided for the combi
nation OF the men OF the ten or twelve
trades In the building industry, brick
layers, brickmaker, painters, carpen
tiers, paper hangers, stair builders
plumbers, plasterers, rooiers, stone
cutters, e:c. These industries give di
rect employment 10 q million and {
half OF men, and II we add the occu
pations relative 10 them, II 10 ssfs u
say that the building trade
OF the United States supply In,
means Of life 10 100000 OF workin,
people aud their families. To combin,
all these into single body, acting a
unit upon all questions In their In
terest, was the business undertaken
by last weeks conven4i1h al Chicago
We have no prtcsder. for such |
project, which Ia the largest OF II
kind yet seen In the evolution OF In
dustrial organization. Many trade
have national unions, but for a doEeI
correlated trades TO move by singl,
force, tue whole country over, Ia
novelty. Some twenty States wer,
represented by their delegates. III
powerful Brotherhood OF Carpenters
with its 1000 members, being In tn
ground. Only the scaHoldlng o
the proposed gigantic structure wa
raised by the convention, which hold
another session In September; but Ia
programme shows how extensive an,
how searching are the plans Of II
builders, who propose a central super
vieion Of the interests OF the yariou
crafts In the great army OF the build
L.. nj A I.